Few things contribute to what we will accomplish in life, or not, as much as our identity. When someone has smoked for 30 years tells me, "I haven't smoked for 3 months now." I'll probe a little deeper, perhaps even asking "how much longer before you smoke again?" If they tell me, "Oh, I'm a non-smoker....I was a smoker for 30 years, but I'm a non-smoker now, so never, ever again!" then I know they have made the much needed identity shift that will all but guarantee their continued success. It's one thing to stop a behavior; it's an entirely different "animal" though when you change "who" you are, and how you perceive yourself.
